Michigan Football: 2022 commitments earn way into top 247

Michigan football had three 2022 commitments get rankings bumps and move into the Top 247 when it comes to the 2022 recruiting rankings from 247 sports. 

Stars matter when it comes to recruiting. Anyone who says they don’t just isn’t telling the truth. But they also aren’t the end-all, be-all, especially when they are still getting updated.

This recruiting cycle has also been pretty difficult to evaluate kids, at least when compared to other recruiting classes.

There was a dead period that lasted over a year right in the prime period of their recruitments, so evaluation is key in 2022 and Michigan football is solid in that department.

The Wolverines have landed a bunch of three-star commitments during this cycle but on many of those commitments, we have cautioned fans to be patient, that rankings would improve, and on Wednesday, three 2022 commitments to Michigan football did get bumps into the Top 247.

That’s the name for 247 sports top rankings for college football recruiting and while that shouldn’t be confused with the composite rankings, which tallies rankings for multiple sites, it’s still good to see Mason Graham, Kevonte Henry, and Colston Loveland surge to four-star status.

It was well-deserved and frankly, overdue.

Loveland is a 6-foot-5 monster from Idaho and he’s an absolute beast. I predicted he would rise and it wasn’t a hard prediction to make when you saw Alabama on his offer sheet. Auburn and others have kept pushing but he seems solid to Michigan football. He’s now 246th overall according to 247 sports, as well as the No. 9 tight end.

The other risers: Graham and Henry also weren’t surprising. Henry has been one of the most underrated recruits in this class and On3.com actually has him listed as a top-100 recruit.

Henry is 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and is now ranked 437th in the composite and 200th overall in the Top 247. He’s also ranked as the 15th-best edge rusher.

Last but not least is Graham, who is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country. He was committed to Boise State but flipped to Michigan football, then the recruit from Anaheim was promptly offered by USC and Oregon, yet has remained firm.

Graham is a defensive tackle but is also an exceptional pass rusher and he received a big bump as well all the way to 213th overall. He’s now 31st among defensive tackles and 580 in the composite.

I’ve felt all along each should have been ranked in the four-star range and there are others such as Myles Pollard and Kenneth Grant, who deserve that same treatment (they are four-stars in some services but not all).

But this movement should make fans feel a little better about the current 2022 commitments, especially with chances to add five-star targets like Josh Conerly Jr. and Domani Jackson if everything goes to plan down the stretch.